Context: Health Insurance Companies in Rhode Island recently submitted a proposal to the State asking them to approve insurance rate increases that would hurt working people and families. Before a decision is made, the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner is accepting public comment until Friday, August 6th. We are asking that neighbors, elected officials, and community leaders sign on to the letter below asking that Health Insurance Commissioner Patrick Tigue reject these proposed rate increases. 

Letter: 

Dear Commissioner Tigue: 

We write to you asking that the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner reject the proposed health insurance rate hikes proposed by Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Neighborhood Health Plan of RI, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna and Tufts Health as the approval of these rate hikes would hurt the working people and middle-class families of our state. 

Over the last year and a half, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, our communities have been financially impacted through job loss, reduced hours, and the closure of small businesses. Despite the recent re-opening of our economy, thousands of Rhode Islanders are still struggling to maintain financial stability. Between rent, utilities, groceries, vehicle insurance, and other vital expenses that continue to increase in cost, thousands of working and middle-class families are struggling to get back on their feet and avoid any further financial debt. This is especially prevalent in the urban core of Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket as these have been some of the communities hardest hit with unemployment, cases of COVID, hospitalizations, and deaths.

As the pandemic has shown, now more than ever, we need our residents to be cognizant of their health by regularly visiting their doctor, whether it is in-person or virtually through telemedicine. If these proposed health insurance rate hikes are approved, however, this would only harm the health of our communities and further contribute to economic insecurity. Naturally, people would become hesitant to visit their primary care physician due to the dramatic cost increase in their health insurance plans or they would simply be forced to pay more in out-of-pocket expenses. Overall, the requested rate hikes range from about 3% to more than 17% with some of the larger healthcare insurance companies, such as UnitedHealth, requesting the most significant increase among all insurers. It is disingenuous for these health insurance companies to claim that these hikes are for the purpose of simply matching expected medical cost increases while the salaries and bonuses of their wealthy executives continue to increase. If they were truly committed to “helping patients and employers access the most appropriate quality care while holding down costs,” they would focus on reducing the six-to-seven figure salaries of their health insurance executives and administrators instead of trying to maximize profit on the backs of working families that are seeking medical care.

With the recent surge of COVID cases and the ongoing spread of the Delta variant, it is important that our state government and healthcare providers work together to expand healthcare treatment instead of limiting access through rate hikes. We respectfully ask that the Office of the Health Commissioner reject these proposed health insurance rate hikes, regardless of the amount proposed, and instead prioritize the financial well-being of burdened communities trying to recover from this pandemic.

Sincerely,

Representative David Morales, District 7